Shadow and Light
by TwilightNocturne74
Summary: A gothic romance between two starcrossed lovers. AU. LilyXJames. WARNING: this is NOT your average, fluff filled, romance fic!
1. Shadow

**Shadow and Light**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the plot, and I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever claim anything that belongs to JK Rowling as my own.**

**Fiction rated M for some mature themes like violence, gore, sex, language, and all that fun crap.**

**This is an AU fic about Lily and James. You'll find it's rather different from most fics; it's more of a gothic-romance-horror. I loved the idea; it's the best one I've come up with yet. I have a few chapters written; I will post every week. I need some feedback first, of course. Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

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_A shadow cannot exist without the light._

**Chapter One: ****Shadow**

He was the king of Gryffindor. He was smart, talented, handsome, and… oh yeah, he landed himself in detention at least once a month. But girls loved him and guys admired him. He was James Potter. He strode down the halls with his best mate, Sirius Black. The duo was unstoppable and inseparable.

In their 7th year, James was Head Boy. Head Girl was his girlfriend and fellow Gryffindor, Cornelia Taylor. She was very pretty and very popular as well. Cornelia and James did not talk much; in fact, they seemed to enjoy snogging each other more. They were only together because it made them both more popular. If they weren't both Head Boy and Head Girl, they might not even have noticed each other.

James and Sirius got looks from girls as they walked down the hall, which was not uncommon. Sirius smiled at each one of them, but James remained expressionless.

One first year with a lot of freckles on her face got so excited when she saw them, she let her books slip out of her arms.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she rushed to pick up all of her books.

"Here, let me help," said Sirius, bending down to help her pick them up.

"Th-thank you so much!" she said, blushing a deep shade of red.

"Anytime," Sirius said smoothly.

"Padfoot, let's go," said James, annoyed.

"Alright, just trying to be nice, Prongs. You should try it sometime," he said.

"I am nice," James defended himself.

"So I've heard. 'James Potter is a saint!' to quote Madam Barlow. Honestly, what have you done to that poor old woman?" Sirius asked, smirking.

"I didn't do anything! Except maybe compliment her now and then, and ask how her grandchildren are doing, and buy her flowers…"

"Honestly, you are the biggest suck up!" Sirius said. James laughed.

They came to the portrait hole, where the fat lady was sitting, looking bored. She lit up when she saw James.

"Why hello, James," she greeted.

"Hullo. _Portkey_," he said. The portrait swung open, and James and Sirius stepped inside. Then it closed behind them, leaving them to the safety of their own common room.

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**So that's it. The first two chapters are just and introduction. Chapters will get much longer, and much more interesting. Please tell me what you think! **

**Next chapter: Light.**


	2. Light

_**Shadow and Light**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Rating: M for some mature themes listed in the previous chapter, which will not show up until later chapters.**

_A shadow cannot exist without the light.

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_

**Chapter 2: Light**

Lily Evans sat in the comfort of her bedroom, trying to brush her tangled black hair. Ever since she dyed it that color, it's never been the same. She tried every spell she could think of to get the knots to come out, but nothing worked. Her bright green eyes were buried in a mass of black and grey eye makeup. Her wardrobe consisted of black or grey jumpers, black baggy pants, very long black skirts, and torn blue jeans. She tried her best not to draw attention to herself. Her parents had told her that it wasn't right to have boys staring at you. So she had to get rid of her fiery red hair and cover herself in shades of grey and black. They liked her much better this way. As long as she wasn't prettier than their perfect, princess Petunia. This look had been going for Lily ever since she was 11 years old.

"_Lily, dear, you're going to your new school this fall, and we don't want those boys to be staring at you! You must get rid of that hair color at once!"_

"_But Mommy, I like my hair!"_

"_You'll like it better when I'm through with it!"_

"_Petunia's going to a new school, too! Why can't she change her hair?"_

"_Because Petunia is going to a private school. Besides, she is the oldest, and she's not a witch like you. You're not supposed to be prettier than her. I won't allow it!"_

Lily was lucky her mother hadn't cut off all of her hair. However, she made Lily put a charm on her hair so that it would keep growing in black, not red. That way they wouldn't have to keep dyeing it.

"Lily," the sound of her roommate's voice broke her concentration. She looked up at Ezmerelda.

"Yes?"

"Let's go down to the common room and play chess," she suggested.

"Okay," Lily smiled. Ezmerelda was a nice girl. She had short, curly brown hair, and two large blue eyes.

They walked down to the common room and sat at a table, starting a game of chess. Lily was an expert at chess. She'd fallen in love with the game ever since Ezmerelda introduced it to her six years ago. It was something she could practice and become good at. It was also something she could spend her time doing, instead of sitting alone in her room and moping.

Lily made the first move; her pawn moved forward two spaces.

"White pawn makes the first move," Ezmerelda commentated.

"It's your turn," Lily said.

"I know. Hmm…" One of her pawns moved two spaces forward, mirroring Lily's move. "Shocking move by Ezmerelda Daniels! It looks like she may just win this game!" said Ezmerelda. Lily laughed.

They continued their game without a care in the world. The only thing that mattered to Lily at that moment was the game. She didn't have to worry about anything else.

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**Well, it's not going anywhere yet… hehe. It will, though, be patient. **

**Next chapter: Morning**


	3. Morning

**Chapter 3: Morning**

The next day Lily had Potions class first thing in the morning. She and Ezmerelda headed down to the dungeons together.

When they entered the classroom, there were cauldrons set on every table. Professor Slughorn stood at the front of the room and waited for all of the students to enter.

"You may all take your regular seats, but only for now. I will be assigning a project for the rest of the semester, and I will put you together by pairs. You will therefore change your seats accordingly," he said. Some of the students groaned.

"I hope we're partners," Lily told Ezmerelda. It was because Ezmerelda was her only friend. Nobody ever talked to Lily.

"The first pair is… Mr. Pettigrew and Miss Daniels," Slughorn said.

"I'm sorry, Lily," said Ezmerelda as she got up to sit near Pettigrew.

"The next pair is Mr. Black and Mr. Lovegood." Sirius got out of his seat and sat next to his partner.

"Next is Miss Taylor and Miss Easton."

James' girlfriend kissed him goodbye as she went to sit with her partner.

"Mr. Potter…" James looked around at his classmates, wondering who'd be his partner. He looked hopefully at his friend Remus. "… and Miss Evans."

James turned around and looked at the girl he was paired with. Lily got up and sat down next to him, smiling shyly.

"Well, I guess I'm stuck with you for the rest of the semester," he said to her. She blushed and looked down at the floor.

"Why don't you say something?" James asked, "You're awfully quiet."

"I-I'm sorry," she staggered.

"Whoa, relax. It's okay. You don't have to talk if you really don't want to," he said.

"It's not that," she said, looking at him, "It's just that… I've never talked to a boy before, besides my father or my teachers."

"Really?" James said, "I mean, well... I'm sure you've talked to at least one boy…?"

"No," she said, looking at the floor, "I try to ignore boys."

"Why?"

"My mum told me it's not good to talk to boys," she explained.

"Do you always do everything your mother says?" he asked.

"Yes. Well actually, this one time she told me I couldn't answer the telephone when she wasn't home, and I did. It was a telemarketer, though, so she never found out. Oh! The telemarketer was a man! So I have talked to one man before! Oh, but I'm rambling, I'm sorry," she said, seeing as James looked confused.

"No that's okay," he said, "But… a tele-what?"

"Oh. You don't know what telephones are, do you? I'm muggle-born, you see," she said.

"No wonder your mother sounds like a complete wacko," said James.

"She's not a wacko. She really loves me," Lily said.

"You sound like you're under a lot of strict rules," he said.

"Students! Listen up," Slughorn shouted over the voices of the teenagers, "Here is your assignment: You will have until the end of the semester to work on a very difficult potion. This is the Aparadeces Potion. It makes a person seem dead for a good amount of time. The ingredients are hard to come by. I expect you all to find them on your own. If you turn in your books to page 328, you will find the directions for making this potion."

Lily opened her book to page 328 and began reading. James waited. She looked up.

"What does it say?" he asked her.

"We have to put in each ingredient in a certain order, or else it won't work," she explained.

"Okay. What's the first ingredient?"

"A phoenix feather," Lily said.

"That shouldn't be too hard to get," he said, "Dumbledore's got a phoenix."

"No. We're not plucking a feather from Fawkes," she said.

"Why not?"

"Because everyone else will be doing that, and then poor Fawkes won't have any feathers left. We'll find our own phoenix," Lily said.

"Okay…"

When class was over, Ezmerelda and Lily walked to their next class. Lily was silent, but Ezmerelda had a lot to say about her partner.

"He's weird but cute, in a way. He's very shy though. It's hard to believe he's friend with James Potter," Ezmerelda said, "So… how is James anyway?"

"He's nice…" said Lily.

"Oh? I think you like him. My little Lily has a crush on the Gryffindor king!" Ezmerelda said.

"I do not," Lily said.

"Well, I'll let you get away with denying it now… But I still can't believe we're talking to people as popular as the Marauders! It's certainly exciting… Well, I think it's been a productive morning, don't you? This must be a sign that the rest of the day will be good! Yes, I predict that it will be a great day!" Ezmerelda was always making predictions. She wanted to be a seer like her Aunt Audrey. Lily had met Aunt Audrey two summers ago, and she was a very eccentric witch. Lily remembered their meeting like it was yesterday.

"_Aunt Audrey, this is my friend, Lily Evans," Ezmerelda introduced. Aunt Audrey looked at Lily with particular interest. _

"_Welcome, my dear! Would you like me to look into your future?" she asked._

"_Um… sure," said Lily. Aunt Audrey took Lily's hands and closed her eyes to meditate._

"_Hm…I see… that you will become a very powerful witch," Aunt Audrey said, "A very powerful witch indeed! You have been chosen, Lily Evans. Your life will change greatly. It has been hidden in the shadow for too long. There is one who will help you to fulfill your destiny. He will be your light. However, you must not stray from purity, or else all will be lost!" She stopped and looked at Lily._

"_Aunt Audrey… what does that mean?"_

"_Oh, my. I'm afraid I don't know, dear. These things just come out and I rarely understand what I'm saying. But I'm sure that it must be very important," she said with a laugh._

Aunt Audrey had said that someone… a man… would help her fulfill her destiny. Lily believed it at first, but then she decided it was untrue. But now that she had talked to a guy for the first time in her life, she started to believe. Maybe James Potter, or someone he'll introduce her to, will be that man.

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**What will happen to Lily now, and is James the one Aunt Audrey prophesied about?**

**Next chapter: Night**


	4. Night

**Hey! I gots reviews! Well, I knew that already but I haven't gotten a chance to write back to my loverly reviewers. So here goes:**

**Missmee: **The horror is in there, you'll just have to wait. Hehe. Chapter 5 has horror in it and is my favorite chapter so far, so you'll see it when I update. Enjoy!

**XXRoseDawsonXX: **which other fic are u reading? Please tell me! It's like this huge secret or s.t. Lol. Well, it looks like you've caught on to my chapter titles. They will all be one word, sorry. And they will all be opposites as well. Because I'm just that awesome. Haha. XP! Luv ya, Meg!

**Officemaxgluestick: **I like your username! Lol. It's interesting. And it was my pleasure to write something different. In fact, it's my specialty. Haha. I hope I updated fast enough for you.

**Selene romanov:** Hmm… do u like gothic Lily? She's only gothic in her style, not her personality though. She's really just a sweet innocent little girl who needs to be loved. Lol. She doesn't listen to death metal or anything, either. In fact, I'm not sure what type of music she listens to. Probably classical, like Mozart or Beethoven. Haha.

**InvisibleA: **thanks! You have a cool username… what does it mean?

**Demonstar:** thanks! (-:

**Thank you all for reviewing! You've made my day:-)**

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Chapter 4: Night**

Cornelia Taylor was interested in nothing but James Potter's mouth at the moment, even while James was trying to have a conversation with his friends in the common room that afternoon. She would not give him a moment's rest it seemed. Finally, as she pulled back for air, he said, "Corey, please, can you lay off for a moment?"

Cornelia groaned but then started licking and nibbling on his earlobe.

"Ow! That hurts!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry," she said, pouting.

"Anyway, Padfoot, go on," James said. Sirius continued talking about his Potions partner. James listened intently while Cornelia sat next to him, stroking his messy black hair.

"I'm telling you, Lovegood's crazy!" Sirius said.

"I'm sure he's not as bad as my partner," said James.

"Who are you paired with?" Sirius asked.

"Evans."

"Oh, that weird girl? Good luck with her," said Sirius.

"Her friend Ezmerelda's pretty nice," said Peter.

"Well, Evans is nice too, but she's weird. She told me about her mum. The lady sounds like an obsessive freak!"

"Well I guess it runs in the family," said Cornelia.

"Evans isn't a freak… she's just different. I think she was forced to be the way she is by her mum. I mean, the girl hasn't ever talked to a man before besides her teachers!"

"Really? That is strange…" said Sirius.

"Why does she dress in black?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. I'll ask her."

"Don't. It's rude," said Remus.

"Okay, Moony, then you ask her," James said, "but anyway… hey, here she comes now."

Lily was indeed walking by as James gave her a quick smile. She blushed and kept walking, not looking back.

"Freak," said Cornelia, when Lily was out of earshot.

"Oh, leave her alone, Corey," said James. He got up to go follow Lily. "I'll be right back," he told his friends.

He caught Lily outside the stairway to the girl's dorms, where he could not go any further.

"Hey, Evans," he said.

"Hi," she said, not making eye contact.

"I, um, just thought you might want to get a head start on that project," he said.

"Oh. Okay. Um… did you want to… now?" she asked.

"Sure. If you know what to do to get a phoenix," he said. She smiled.

"I think I do. But we can't go now. People will see us. We can go at night. It's easier to see after dark, anyway…"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The Forbidden Forest! I once walked by there and I swore I heard the song of a phoenix. I think there's one living in there. But we need to go there at night," Lily explained.

"We're not supposed to be out at night," James reminded her.

"I know. But it's for a school project, and I thought, well, with you being Head Boy… Oh, I don't know! I'm sorry I suggested such a ludicrous idea!" Lily said.

"No, don't apologize! You're right. We can go after dark, since I'm Head Boy and it's for a good reason. We'll go tonight," he said.

"Tonight?" she repeated.

"Yes. We'll meet in the common room at 10. I'll see you then, Evans," he said.

"O-okay. See you." Then he left. Lily ran up to her room to find Ezmerelda and tell her the news.

"Wow, really?" Ezmerelda said after hearing the story.

"Yup. Oh, Ezzy! He's gonna sneak out with me! I've never done something like that before! I'm so excited!" Lily exclaimed.

"That's awesome, Lily! I told you the day would get better!"

"I can't wait for tonight!" Lily said. Ezmerelda laughed.

"You're going into the Forbidden Forest, Lil. Relax."

"Okay." She giggled, lying down on her bed. Tonight would be perfect.

At quarter to 10, Lily got up. She brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, and washed her face. She did not put on any makeup. She put her hair up in a ponytail, something she rarely does.

She headed down to the common room. It was dark, but the fire was still blazing in the fireplace. She sat down by the fire to warm her hands. James was not there yet. Had he stood her up? She waited 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, and then 15… and finally James showed up.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting," he said.

"That's okay," she said, smiling. He looked at her, in the light of the fire.

"You look different," he said.

"Different?" she repeated.

"Yeah. You're not wearing all that makeup, and your hair's tied back… you have really pretty eyes," he said before he could stop himself. She blushed.

"Uh… thanks. We should get going," she said.

"Agreed. Put this on," he said, handing her a thin, shiny material.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's my invisibility cloak. If someone sees us walking around at night, we'd get in trouble. Here," he said, throwing it over the both of them. They were so close together, and next to the fire, Lily felt really hot.

They walked together out of the common room. The fat lady woke up as they exited, looking around, trying to figure out who was there. But seeing nobody, she went back to sleep.

Once they made it safely outside, James took the invisibility cloak off of them. They headed for the Forbidden Forest, careful to be as quiet as possible.

"Well, here we are," James whispered.

"Yeah. Let's go inside," she said, walking to the entrance of the Forest. James followed her.

"You're not scared at all," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

"There's hardly anything that frightens me," she said confidently.

"So how do we find a phoenix?" he asked.

"Well, when everything's dark like this, you can see phoenixes better. They sort of have a fiery glow to them. They're nocturnal creatures, you know," she said. They walked around for a little bit, looking around them.

"So, Evans, why do you wear so much black?" James asked. But Lily did not answer him.

"Shh," she said, "You have to listen for the phoenix's song. That way we can locate it better."

"Oh, right."

They continued walking, but they didn't see anything. Then they heard something. It was not a song, but a rustling of leaves. Something was watching them. Lily looked around to see where the noise was coming from.

"Shhh…" James said, resting his hand on her shoulder, "It's alright. Just stay quiet. We don't want to alarm it."

"Do you know what it is?" she whispered.

"No. Just wait."

Suddenly, the rustling stopped. James had his eyes set straight in front of him. Then, in an instant, something big jumped out from behind the trees and stood before them. It was half human, half horse.

"A centaur…" Lily gasped. She was amazed by the creature's beauty, for it was a sight to see.

"What are you humans doing here?" The centaur spoke.

"Please, we mean no harm," James said as calmly as possible, "We were just looking for a phoenix. We need to find one."

"There are no phoenixes in this forest," the centaur said, "Go back to where you came from." It looked angry.

"A-are you sure there are no phoenixes here? I-I thought I heard one…" Lily stuttered.

"You heard nothing!" the centaur roared. It wasn't beautiful; it was vicious, and wanted nothing more than to kill somebody right now. It slowly came closer to Lily. James pulled Lily back and she stumbled into his arms. He held her so that she couldn't move.

"Please, will you just let us look around?" James argued with the creature.

"GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" It bellowed.

James did not hesitate. He grabbed Lily by the hand and they ran all the way back to Hogwarts, not even bothering to put on the invisibility cloak. They entered the common room, unseen by anyone.

"James… It was so beautiful," Lily finally said.

"Yes, but it would have killed us," he said.

"I'm sorry… I was sure that I heard a phoenix's song coming from the forest that one time. I guess I was mistaken," she said.

"That's okay. Just next time, let's try something less dangerous." Lily thought James was displeased with her, but he was grinning. She smiled.

"Okay."

"Good. Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he said, turning to go to his room. Lily went up to her own room where Ezmerelda was sound asleep. She laid down on her bed, smiling to herself. Ezmerelda was definitely right about the day getting better. Now she could only dream about what tomorrow had to offer.

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**Hooray for longer chapters! Lol. Well, I hope you liked this one.**

**Next chapter: Tomorrow**


	5. Tomorrow

**To my loverly reviewers:**

**Officemaxgluestick: Thank you. And you don't have to leave really long reviews, just as long as you tell me what you thought of the chapter and/or how the story can improve. XD**

**InvisibleA: I'm glad I made your day! I hope I don't make you feel invisible!**

**Missmee: Yes! Enter the horror! LOL. Oh and, you're gonna love Cornelia. Haha.**

**XXRoseDawsonXX: Hey, Meg? You SUCK AT LIFE. …I kid, I kid. But come on, tell me what story it is? And if not, then at least tell me when the hell you're gonna finish it!**

**Embrace me…: Well so far, there's nothing gothic-y about it really, except for the fact that Lily is an outcast. But that's perfectly realistic, wouldn't you agree? And yes, I understand that Lily was the favorite of the daughters, but then that's why this is an AU fic, isn't it?**

**Thank you all so very much for reviewing. And now, on with chapter 5.

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**Chapter 5: Tomorrow**

The next day, James woke up late. He went down to the common room to find Cornelia waiting for him, a huge smile plastered over her face at the sight of him.

"Where're Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail?" he asked tiredly.

"I told them to go down to breakfast already. I got up early to see you," she explained.

"Okay."

"You don't seem happy to see me!" she pouted.

"I'm happy, I'm just tired," he said, forcing a smile to his lips.

"Well wake up then," she said, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her for a snog. He kissed her back, while stroking herlong blond hair.

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Lily woke up early and she and Ezmerelda went down to the common room together. Nobody was there except for Cornelia Taylor, the Head Girl, who barely noticed them.

They went down to breakfast and sat at the far end of the Gryffindor table. A few minutes later they were joined by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, who waved to Ezmerelda. She waved back with a smile.

Breakfast was served: pancakes with syrup, french toast, and pumpkin juice. Lily sipped her juice quietly and looked around for James. But he did not show up at all that morning.

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During Potions class that day, the students were instructed to sit by their partners. Lily gladly sat next to James.

"Hi," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hello. I see you're wearing makeup again," he said.

"Oh. You don't like it?" she asked.

"Well, no. I liked you better the way you looked last night. But whatever suits you, I suppose…"

"No, I'll change! I want to change! Mother always said I had to cover my pretty face in dark makeup, but I never really liked it!" she said. James seemed rather amused at this.

"Is that so?" he smirked.

"…What?" she asked stupidly.

"You're just weird," he said.

"Please… don't judge me, James. I'm not trying to be weird."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"Okay. …Oh! I found a way to get a phoenix feather!" she chimed.

"Really? How?"

"Hehe. I'm not going to tell you," she teased, "but you have to come with me again to get it."

"As long as we're not in any mortal peril," he said.

"Oh, it's nothing like that! You'll see! When would you like to meet?"

"How about this afternoon?"

"Okay!" she said excitedly.

"Good. Then we'll meet at 4 in the common room."

"_James_," Cornelia had said to him during breakfast, "_meet me here this afternoon, okay? We'll continue where we left off._"

She had been talking about the ongoing battle between their tongues. So James had promised to meet with his girlfriend that afternoon, and he had promised Lily he'd meet her as well.

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James and Sirius walked into the common room at 4 exactly. There they had found Cornelia sitting on a couch, looking very clean, and Lily, sitting on the floor near the fireplace, looking very… black. Sirius said "hi" to Cornelia and sat down near her. James stayed where he was.

Lily looked up and smiled when she saw him. He smiled back politely.

"James!" Cornelia sang and shouted his name at the same time. He turned to look at her. She seemed to be very impatient. He sighed and sat down next to her. _Only for a minute, _he thought. Cornelia wrapped her arms around him and pressed half of her body on top of him while pushing her lips onto his. He sat there, letting her play around with him for a bit. But he knew he needed to talk to Lily…

_Lily…_

It was about half an hour later when James realized he had totally blown Lily off. He pushed Cornelia off of him and stood up, but he didn't see Lily. He wasn't sure what to do; go look for her, or go back to Cornelia. Then he saw Ezmerelda coming into the common room.

"Hey!" he said to her. She looked at him; her big blue eyes open wide.

"Um… hi," she managed to say.

"Have you seen Evans?" he asked.

"Oh, I think she's in her room. Do you want me to go get her for you?"

"Yes, thank you." Ezmerelda left for the girls' dormitories. She came back 5 minutes later, saying, "She won't come down."

"Well why not?" James asked.

"She said something about you blowing her off. Do you want me to apologize for you?"

"Apologize?" The word sounded funny to James. "No, thank you, but I can do that without your help. Just tell her to come down now," he said confidently. Ezmerelda nodded at him and left.

Twenty minutes later, she and Lily came down the stairs. James eyed Lily in shock. She was wearing a long black skirt and a black lace choker around her neck with a rather low-cut, red shirt. On top of that, she'd tied her hair back and taken off her heavy makeup. He could not keep his eyes off of her. But his trance was soon broken when she spoke.

"Um… hey, James."

"Hi. You look… really amazing," he said. She blushed, her face now matching her shirt.

"Thank you. The shirt's not mine, actually. It's Ezzy's. She said I'd look good in it."

"She wasn't kidding," said James, who was now very fond of Lily's breasts.

"Um…" He looked up at her face.

'So where are we going?" he asked.

"Oh! The owlery, of course," she said. "Follow me."

She led James out of the common room towards the owlery. They had to ascend a few flights of stairs before getting there. The room was filled with the marvelous creatures. Lily spotted a snowy white owl sitting by an open window. She headed over towards it.

"What are we doing Evans? Why'd you bring me up here?" James asked.

"I have a theory," she said, turning to him.

"Really?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Have you ever read any muggle books, James?" she asked.

"One or two."

"Well, if you've ever read fairy tales, you'll know about Cinderella. Cinderella had a fairy godmother that enchanted her to wear a beautiful gown and glass slippers. Before the enchantment ended, Cinderella lost one of her slippers. After the enchantment had ended, the slipper was still there. My theory is as follows: If we can transfigure an owl into a phoenix and pluck one of its feathers, that feather will remain a phoenix feather after the owl changes back," said Lily with confidence.

"Evans, it's just a fairy tale. It's not real. If we pluck a feather, it will still be an owl feather, not a phoenix feather," he said. Lily frowned.

"I'm going to try it," she said. With that, she raised her wand, pointed it towards the snowy owl, and flicked her wrist. Within seconds, the owl had transfigured into a beautiful, fiery phoenix.

"H-how did you do that?" James asked, gazing at the owl-phoenix in awe.

Lily shrugged. "Practice?"

"I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as good at Transfiguration as me, Sirius, and Peter," he said.

Lily smiled and turned back to the owl-phoenix. She plucked one of its feathers and studied it. It was still a phoenix feather. She raised her wand at the owl-phoenix and lifted the enchantment. It turned back into an owl. She looked at the feather. It was still a phoenix feather.

"I told you it would work!" she said proudly. James just shook his head at her, smiling.

"I can't believe it! You are brilliant!" he said. Lily blushed.

"Well, we'd better get going. We can stop by the dungeons and drop this into our cauldron first, if you don't mind," she said.

"Sure. We'll do that," he said, grinning.

They descended the stairs and halted when they came to the dungeons. They walked towards their classroom and opened it. It was empty, of course, and dark. There were still cauldrons set on each of the tables, and Lily and James walked over to theirs.

"Well, here goes the first ingredient," said Lily. She dropped the feather into the cauldron and smiled, satisfied.

"Brilliant," said James. He turned and looked at her strangely. "You know… you look really good right now.. and we're in the dark, in an empty classroom, and…" James didn't know what he was saying and he let it out before he could stop himself.

"Huh?" Lily said, innocently. James grinned and lifted his hand up to stroke her cheek. She blushed but it could not be seen in the dark.

"Um…"

"Shh," he said, as he leaned in to kiss her.

It was her first kiss. It didn't really mean much to James, but it meant everything to Lily. She kissed him back, surprised at what she was doing. It was something her mother would most certainly not approve of. It was wrong.

James moved in closer to Lily now, running his hand up the front of her shirt. James' other hand played with the waistband of her skirt. Lily did not stop him. She did not open her eyes either. He slowly slid her skirt down to the floor and leaned her down on one of the tables, still kissing her passionately. He pulled back only for a moment, taking off his shirt to reveal a very muscular chest, toned from years of quidditch. That's when Lily got up. She opened her eyes; they rolled to the back of her head. She opened her mouth to speak, and blood oozed out from it. Another woman's voice came from her lips:

"_You must not stray from purity!_"

Suddenly, Lily fell back down onto the table, unconscious. James freaked out.

"Evans! Oh my God! Lily, get up!" he said, shaking her violently. She did not stir. He grabbed his shirt and threw it back on, then attempted to put Lily's skirt back on her. He wiped the blood from her mouth with his sleeve. He then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, running with her to the hospital wing.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Mwahahaha! You'll have to wait to see what happens! (review!)**

**Next chapter (you guessed it!): Yesterday**


	6. Yesterday

**To the faithful ones:**

**wefeedowls: thanks. i hope this is soon enough for u. XD**

**InvisibleA: thank you. were u the only one not upset by the cliffhanger? lol. not that im trying to make my readers upset or anything... lol.**

**XXRoseDawsonXX: um... sowwy? LOL. i know i don't every 2 seconds, but... lol. Hunt me down, will u? I'll be waiting... with my rifle! Mwahahahahahahahaha...ha..:cough:cough:gag:dies:**

**Officemaxgluestick: wait... the mom's posessing her? or what were you trying to say...? okay, idk... here's the next update; enjoy. XD

* * *

**

**Chapter 6: Yesterday**

The next day...

Lily sat up, rubbed her eyes, and blinked in confusion.She could not remember what had happened yesterday. She looked to her left and saw James sitting beside her. She looked down to see that she was in a bed… and the memories came flooding back to her all of a sudden.

"James…! Did we…?"

"Did we what?" he said.

"What exactly happened yesterday?" she asked, now looking around and realizing that she was in the hospital wing.

"Well… you see, we were sort of… I mean, when we were about to… Um, you passed out," he said.

"I did? Oh, God. I'm such an idiot!" she scolded herself.

"No, you're not the idiot. I am. But I'm not quite sure what happened, either. It was sort of freaky. You… you're eyes… they rolled to the back of your head, and there was blood…"

"Blood?" Lily echoed.

"Yes. Then you started speaking in a different voice. It was freaky; straight out of a horror story," he said.

"What did I say?"

"You said… _you must not stray from purity_… or something like that." Lily was a little relieved at hearing Aunt Audrey's words being spoken. At least now she had some sort of idea as to what was happening to her.

"James, I think I know what it meant," she said.

"You do?"

"Yes. There was this prophecy… Ezmerelda's Aunt Audrey prophesied that… my life would change. She said I was… _chosen_. She said that I had to stay pure, or something," Lily said. She chose not to mention the part about the man.

"Wow, that's deep," said James, "I wonder what it could mean…"

"I don't know, but if freaky things like that are going to happen, then I'm going to listen to this prophecy. I don't want to do anything that might… well…" Lily stopped. She looked at James, who looked at her with concern in his hazel eyes.

"Evans… _Lily_… I'm sorry. About yesterday, I mean. I'm sorry for… you know… trying to take advantage of you. I'm sorry!" he said. Lily just looked at him, as he held his face in his hands.

"James… don't blame yourself. I let… I mean… it's not your fau-"

"It is my fault!" he shouted, "I shouldn't have… I'm such an idiot! Lily, how can you think this had anything to do with you? You're completely innocent! I was the one with the wrong intentions. All I could think was how much I wanted to…" He stopped and hid his face deeper into his hands, ashamed of himself.

"James…" Lily reached out a hand and touched his shoulder. He looked up at her. Tears were streamed down his face.

"I'm so sorry for doing this to you," he said quietly. She smiled at him.

"I know. It's okay, just... promise not to tell anyone what happened to me, okay?"

"Okay."Lily held his hand and squeezed it gently.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey entered the room. She looked at Lily, then at James, then at Lily.

"Well? How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Lily said, looking up and smiling at the healer.

"Good. You may go," she said. James helped Lily up, out of the bed. They walked together out of the hospital wing and down to Gryffindor Tower.

The common room grew silent when the two entered. Lily spotted Ezmerelda and went to talk to her. James went to try and explain to his friends about what had happened,without giving away the freaky partand anything about the prophecy.

"Lily… what happened yesterday?" Ezmerelda asked worriedly. Lily explained it all to her friend. Ezmerelda was silent.

"Well?" Lily said.

"I… I can't believe it. You said… those were the exact words Aunt Audrey said?" Ezmerelda asked. Lily nodded.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm not surprised!" Ezmerelda said, "Lily, I don't trust James Potter. That man is a womanizer!"

"But he apologized… he wouldn't do it again… I trust him, Ez. Especially after what happened to me."

"Well, I don't want you around him unless it's for that project," Ezmerelda said. Lily laughed.

"Okay, but… you sound like my mother," she said. Ezmerelda started to laugh.

"I guess I do," she said.

"Come on, let's go do something fun," Lily said.

"Like what?"

"Hm… chess?" Lily asked. Ezmerelda giggled.

"If it'll make you feel better, then sure."

So the two began playing wizarding chess, and in no time, Lily was absorbed in the game and not worrying about yesterday.

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**Well, that's it. Tell me that chapter wasn't too dull… it was a little short as well, I know…** **and it did not explain everything either, so I know you guys are a little confused... but things will clear up for now, just sit back and REVIEW. If you don't review, I won't update. XP**

**Next chapter: Friends**


	7. Friends

**Back again, and with a longer chapter! ...Sigh... I rock, don't I? Lol.**

**To the faithful:**

**InvisibleA:** thank you,as always.

**XXRoseDawsonXX:** I know a girl who sucks at life and her name starts with an M... lol. Siriusly, though (lol), what story is it? I mean, how long does it take you to read a freakin fanfiction?

**HPHGCroar:** Thank you. I hope this one's long enough for you.

**Wefeedowls:** thanks.

**HPHG4EVAH:** thank you. (all these HPHG shippers...sheesh...sorry, not trying to discriminate or criticize you, lol.)

**Prongs.lives.in.you.Harry.:** thank you. And I'm glad I creeped somebody out. Hehe.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Friends**

It was Friday, and Lily and James found themselves stuck in yet another Potions class. Everyone was busy working on their potions. James was sitting on a stool with his feet up on the table, relaxing while Lily checked the list of ingredients.

"The next ingredient is a teaspoonful of unicorn blood," she said.

"Easy," said James, "we'll just transfigure something into a unicorn."

"I don't think it works that way, James. I mean, the feather worked, but that was different. We transfigured a bird into a bird, and took something from its outside appearance. To get unicorn blood, I think we have to actually find a unicorn."

"Well how do you suppose we do that?" James asked, lowering his feet and sitting up straight.

"Hagrid."

"What?"

"Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper of Hogwarts. He might have some," Lily said.

"Yes, but would he give us any?" Lily nodded.

"Sure. He's my friend," she said. It was true. When Lily had nobody else to talk to, she always visited the half-giant for a chat and a cup of tea. He was lonely too and could often relate to her.

"Okay. Then after school, we're going to see Hagrid. I just don't want to know why he'd have unicorn blood on him," James said, wincing. Lily laughed.

"I'll spare you the details then," she said.

"Good. So… what do we do if he doesn't have any?"

"Well, we don't want to be accused of cruelty to magical creatures, so I don't think we have to make another trip to the forbidden forest for a while. Other than that, I don't know…"

"What about the Care of Magical Creatures professor? Maybe she could get unicorn's blood somehow, without actually having to physically harm a unicorn," James suggested.

"I don't know if that's possible, James. But… we'll see what happens. For now, we rely on Hagrid. We'll meet this afternoon in the common room, okay?"

"Okay."

That afternoon, as James made his way to the common room, he found himself in a fairly familiar situation. Lily was waiting for him, sitting by the fire again, and Cornelia was sitting with Remus, Peter and Sirius. She waved to James with a smile and he tried to smile back, but his lips would not move. He looked back at Lily. She was sitting patiently, a thoughtful look spread about her face. James sighed and walked over towards Lily.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. He offered her his hand and she took it and got up. They walked together out of the common room, James offering a short wave towards his friends as they left. Cornelia gasped.

When they were outside, Lily got ahead of James. She strode gracefully towards the half-giant's hut, softly humming a tune which James did not recognize. He followed her willingly, grinning at the back of her auburn-colored head. His eyes trailed down to her denim-clad hips, swaying as she walked. But she had stopped moving. James looked up to see that they were already at the hut, and Lily was knocking on the door.

"Who's there?" said a loud, rather husky voice which James could only assume was Hagrid's.

"It's me, Lily," Lily said. Not a second later the door was open and Hagrid was standing there, looking pleased and quite taller than James remembered, if that's possible. Lily stepped inside and Hagrid followed her in, not noticing or expecting, really, for James to be there. But Hagrid's puppy, Fang, jumped out immediately and began barking at James.

"Fang! What are ye yappin' about? Stop it! Oh, I see we have an unexpected visitor today," he said, adressing James.

"Erm, hello, Hagrid," James said awkwardly.

"Who are ye?" he queried.

"J-james Potter, sir. Nice to meet you," he said as politely as possible, extending his right hand. Hagrid looked questioningly at him before taking his hand and shaking it roughly.

"What's taking you guys so long?" Lily was now standing beside Hagrid, arms folded.

"Oh, forgive me. Come on in," he said to James. He was still clutching his hand rather tightly, so he took the opportunity to haul James inside the house. James stumbled when Hagrid let go, then steadied himself, and looked around.

They were indeed in a very strange house. James could not imagine who would want to live there. There were pictures of dragons and hippogriffs on the wall and books about taming wild beasts on the bookshelves. There were strange silver strings hanging by the windows and on the windowsill there was a jar of small, oddly shaped biscuits or something.

"What are those?" James inquired.

"Those would be Pinkylump turds. They're good for keeping unwanted critters away," Hagrid replied.

"Is that what they are?" he said, not wanting a reply unless it was 'just kidding.' But when he didn't get a response, he had to put his hand to his mouth to stop himself from vomiting all over Hagrid's floor.

"Ye alrigh' there, James?" Hagrid asked. James lowered his hand and nodded.

"Good. Now, what brings you two here on this fine day?" he asked.

"What, you mean we can't just visit you?" Lily asked. Hagrid shot her a questioning look, but did not say anything.

"I'll make some tea," he said before going into the kitchen.

"Well, what do you think?" Lily asked James when they were alone.

"I think you have some weird friends," was his reply.

"You think Hagrid's weird? Well that's not very nice of you. He probably thinks you're weird, too," Lily said.

""Well, the tea's brewin' now, so if yer want ta wait in the kitchen, yeh can," Hagrid said from the kitchen doorway. Lily and James walked in and sat down at the table. Hagrid joined them.

They sat in silece for a minute or so before James shot an irritated look at Lily. Lily tilted her head.

"Oh…um… Hagrid," she said, turning to the half-giant, "Do you by any chance have some unicorn blood we could borrow?"

"I knew it! Ye don' wanta visist me! Yer just here to get somethin' from me!" Hagrid bawled.

"Hagrid! I visit you all the time! What are you talking about? I just remembered now that I needed unicorn blood, and I thought you might have some," Lily replied. James kept silent as he watched the two of them.

"Really? Well, I think I may have… waitaminute! What do you want with unicorn blood, anyway? Dangerous stuff ter be messin' aroun' with, Lily," Hagrid said.

"It's a project for Potions class, Lily replied truthfully.

"Project, eh? Well, in tha' case… I do have some unicorn's blood. How much do ye need?" he asked.

"Oh, um… I forgot. James, do you remember?" Lily asked.

"Huh? Yeah… um, a teaspoonful, I think," he said.

"Oh, good. So you do pay attention," she said. James raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh… nothing! Hagrid, where's the unicorn blood?"

"Eh? Oh, lemme get it. An' do me a favor and get the tea, alrigh'?"

"Sure." Hagrid retreated to another room, and Lily took out her wand. She raised it and pointed it at the tea kettle, levitating it and pouring it into three separate mugs. Then she got up and walked over, picking up a mug for herself and sipping the tea.

"Here we go," Hagrid walked into the room with a small jar full of blood. "I got this when I saw a wounded unicorn in the forest one day. I helped it, but it lost a lot of blood. I've been keeping this warm, so it wouldn' dry up," he explained.

"Excellent. Do we have a teaspoon to measure with? And we need something to carry it in," Lily said.

"Yeah, here, lemme go get somethin' for ye…" Hagrid again retreated to the other room and came out two minuted later with a teaspoon and a small cup. He measured the blood with the teaspoon and poured it into the cup, and then handed the cup to Lily.

"Excellent, Excellent," Lily stated, "This'll be perfect. James, are you ready to go? Oh, you haven't touched your tea!" James looked at her, then looked over at the mug in front of him, and then back at her.

"I'm fine, really. Let's go," he said.

"Alright. Don't forget to thank Hagrid for his hospitality," she said.

"Oh, uh, thanks, Hagrid," James said, standing up. "Let's go," he said to Lily. She nodded and led the way out before saying goodbye to Hagrid.

"That wasn't too hard, right?" she said, once they were outside.

"Not at all," James said with a grin, "Although I wouldn't like to go back there again."

"Oh, but he's always so lonely!" Lily said.

"That's what he has a dog for."

They walked back to the castle and headed towards the dungeons. When they entered the classroom, they grew silent. They were both too afraid of what had happened the other night in that very same room, even though they'd been in there that morning and were fine. It was dark in there, as it had been before, and so very cold. Lily shivered as she made her way over to the cauldron on their table. She emptied the contents of the cup into the cauldron and backed away, looking at James.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered to him. He turned around and headed out of the room, followed closely be Lily.

Silently they made their way up to Gryffindor tower. That silence was broken when they entered the noisy common room. Sirius and Remus were playing exploding snap, and Cornelia was sitting, chatting with the other 7th year girls. Ezmerelda and Peter were nowhere to be found.

"Where's Pete?" James asked as he made his way over to his friends.

"He's with Ezmerelda; they're working on their project," Remus explained.

"Oh." James sat down next to Sirius. Lily stood there, not sure what to do. Her only friend wasn't there for once.

"Hey, Prongs, why don't you tell your friend to join us?" Sirius asked. James looked up.

"Friend? Oh, you mean Evans? She's not my… well… why not? Evans, won't you join us?" James said.

"Um… I don't know…"

"Come on!" Sirius chimed in.

"O-okay." She sat down across from them and next to Remus, who smiled at her. Cornelia glowered at her from across the room, but nobody noticed.

"So, Prongs, I believe you were about to say that Evans isn't your friend. Is this true?" Sirius asked.

"She's just me partner for Potions, Padfoot," James replied.

"Oh, I see. Hey, Evans, will you be my friend?" Sirius asked. James hit him. "Ow! What'd I do?"

"Everything," James muttered.

"I was being serious, though!" said Sirius. (A/N: Yes, that's right, I know what you were thinking when you read that line. It's really not funny anymore.)

"Um, S-sirius… why would you want to be my friend?" Lily asked.

"Why not?" was his reply.

"Because she's a freak!" Cornelia said, walking towards Lily with a menacing look.

"Corey!" James shouted.

"You know it's the truth. You all know it," Cornelia said. She moved towards James now and sat on his lap, glancing at Lily to make sure she was looking. Then she moved down and began unbuttoning James' shirt.

"Corey…" James groaned, "Not now, love." Cornelia did not listen to him, though. She leaned down on him and kissed him from his mouth, all the way down to his waistline, and then she began to unzip his fly…

"Cornelia!" James shouted, shoving the girl off of him. He zipped his pants and buttoned his shirt quickly, not daring to look at Lily. Cornelia looked shocked, but then stood up straight and flipped her hair casually. She then folded her arms and glared down at James from where she stood.

"If you don't want me, then… it's over! You can have the freak instead, you freak!" She shouted at him.

"Don't call her that," James said through gritted teeth. He didn't even care that he'd been called a freak.

"Why not? The girl's a freakazoid. She dresses in fucking black all the time! It's like she's into dead people, or something. She should just go fuck a zombie, instead of hanging all over you like a fucking whore!"

And at that moment, Cornelia Taylor, Head Girl, got what was coming to her. For James had stood up and punched her in the face. Cornelia's hand immediately flew to her nose, which had apparently broken, as there was blood oozing out from her fingers.

"Get. Away. From. Me. You. Stupid. Bitch!" James said to her. She gasped and backed away from him, still clutching her nose. Then she ran out of the common room, followed by some of the 7th year girls who had been watching the fight.

Once she was out of the room, Sirius and Remus burst out laughing. James glared at them, but they didn't stop until a few good minutes later.

"Oh… Oh that was… I'm… sorry… haha… Oh… that was great," Sirius said in between breaths.

"Yeah… that was the greatest… thing… I've ever seen… Haha!… Oh man…" Remus said.

"Are you blokes feeling all right?" James asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," said Remus, "But we've been waiting for that to happen all year!"

"And it was better than expected," said Sirius.

James rolled his eyes at the two of them and turned to Lily.

"I'm sorry about what she said. She's just an arrogant bitch," he said.

"That's okay. Thank you for sticking up for me," Lily said softly. James smiled. She was okay; she hadn't been hurt by Cornelia's ignorant insults. And he was glad.

"Are we friends then?" he asked.

"Friends?" Lily lit up.

"Yeah. Friends," he said.

"Okay!" She smiled brightly. James loved her warm, beautiful smiles… but they were, and would always be, very rare.

* * *

**This chapter's longer for you guys, since I was getting complaints, lol. Hope you enjoyed it. And if you did, review! If you didn't... review and tell me what's wrong! **

**Next Chapter: Foes**


	8. Foes

**Before this chapter begins, I should probably explain a few questions I received, starting with the most important one:**

**What is an AU fic?**

**An AU fic, for those who do not know, is a fic where the storyline is changed from the canon storyline of HP; for example, if I write a fic where Sirius is still alive, that would be AU. So it's pretty much just going against canon. Please correct me if I'm wrong.**

**Next Question. Why is this story gothic? Because gothic stories contain elements like this story. Some of those elements would be: the story is mysterious and ominous. It includes a prophecy. They live in a castle. It involves an outcast like Lily. The story isn't gothic because Lily dresses in black, either. That has nothing to do with it at all. In fact, I don't even consider her to be "gothic" at all. She doesn't listen to death metal, for one thing. But this story is still "gothic" because of its elements. If you really want a good gothic story, read a novel by Anne Rice. If you want a crappy gothic story, read 'Jane Eyre.' I had to read that one and I hated it, but it had all the elements of a gothic story, so there you go. **

**If you have any more complaints or questions, please let me know.**

Thanks to**: HPHGCroar, XXRoseDawsonXX (luv ya, meg), BlueJeanMistress, Maria, HBP RULES, wefeedowls, rita and sarah, and Gothgirl14.**

**And finally, without further ado,**

**Chapter 8: Foes**

James ran his hands through his messy black hair that night and sat down on his bed. He'd just broken up with his girlfriend and become friends with his Potions partner, the strange and beautiful Lily Evans. What were these strange feelings he was having whenever he thought of her? He'd never felt them when he was with Cornelia. In fact, he hated Cornelia now. She was so ignorant… and he had to protect Lily. Ever since that night, he knew he wanted to be there for her… but why? And what the hell was up with this prophecy she told him about? None of it made any sense to him.

"Dammit," he muttered.

"What's wrong, Prongs?" His best mate sat down on the bed next to him and offered a consoling smile.

"Nothing. I was just thinking," he replied.

"About what?" Sirius asked.

"… about Evans."

"You like her or something?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I can't get her out of my mind, Padfoot!" James said.

"Really? Hmm…"

"Yes?"

"I think you do like her, James," Sirius said.

"Since when did you become such an expert?" James asked.

"Hello, Prongs, you're talking to the sexiest guy in Hogwarts school," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Oh, forgive me. I almost forgot," James said with a laugh.

"Hey, this weekend's a Hogsmeade weekend. We should ask Evans to come with us," Sirius said.

"Sounds good to me," James replied.

"Great. Well, I'm tired. I'm gonna call it a day," Sirius said, yawning and standing up. "Good night, Prongs."

"Night, Padfoot," James mumbled.

-

"Guess who," a warm, soft voice flooded Lily's ears as she felt warm hands gently covering her eyes. She smiled.

"James?" James removed his hands and spun Lily around from her seat in the Great Hall. A huge grin was plastered over his face.

"Good Morning, Evans," he said.

"Good Morning."

"Guess where you're going today?" he said. She placed a hand on her chin as if she was thinking and then looked at him.

"I give up. Where am I going?"

"With me to the Three Broomsticks for lunch!" he exclaimed. "Oh, and Sirius, Peter, and Remus will be there, too."

"That sounds like fun! I'd love to go," she said.

"Good. I'll meet you there at noon."

"Great."

-

Lily brushed her tangled hair furiously in an effort to get all the knots out. She was determined this time. She struck at her head with the hairbrush violently, almost ripping her hair out.

"Lily! Stop that! You don't want your hair to fall out. Here," Ezmerelda handed Lily a small bottle.

"What is it?" Lily asked, examining the bottle curiously.

"It's a type of magic hair gel. It might help get rid of the knots. It's very strong though, so only use a little bit. Last time my cousin used too much, and she ended up bald. It was very frightening."

Lily nodded and poured some of the gel into her hands. Then she rubbed it into her hair.

"Try brushing it now," Ezmerelda suggested. Lily brushed her hair and, much to her surprise, some of the knots came out. But only a few. Her hair was still a wreck.

"We'll work on that later," Ezmerelda said.

"Okay." She sighed and stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was very pale, but her eyes were very bright, now that she stopped wearing heavy eye makeup. Her hair, though… She would have loved to get it back to its original colour.

"Let's go, Lily," Ezmerelda said. Lily nodded and they walked out of the dormitory and down the stairs. They exited the common room and headed outside, on their way to Hogsmeade.

It was still early; Lily had an hour before she had to meet up with James. She went to Honeydukes with Ezmerelda and they bought some candy.

When it was noon, Lily and Ezmerelda headed towards the Three Broomsticks. They were stopped on their way outside of the Hog's Head by a mysterious hooded figure.

"Come inside, girls. I need to talk with you about something extremely vital," a woman's voice said.

"Aunt Audrey… Is that you?" Ezmerelda asked. Aunt Audrey lowered her hood.

"Shh! Yes it's me," she whispered. "Now come inside." She put her hood back up and entered the Hog's Head. Lily and Ezmerelda followed.

"Aunt Au-" Ezmerelda began, but got cut off by Aunt Audrey's loud 'hush!'

"Um… why are we in here?" Ezmerelda asked quietly.

"We don't want to be seen. Now sit down and pay attention," Aunt Audrey said.

"I have to be somewhere," Lily spoke up.

"Not now you don't!" Aunt Audrey hissed. Lily silently sat down along with Ezmerelda and Aunt Audrey.

"Now, what I am about to say is very important. I suggest you pay attention," she said.

"We're listening," Ezmerelda said.

"I was reading my cards the other day, and… there is _more_ to the prophecy, my dear," Aunt Audrey stated, addressing Lily.

"More?" Lily gasped.

"Yes. _You have been chosen_… I believe this means more than we thought it meant. I believe that you, Lily Evans…" at this point Aunt Audrey lowered her voice to a whisper, "you are the _chosen one._"

"Ch-chosen one?"

"Hush! Nobody must know what I mean. And what I mean is… according to what I've concluded… _you_ are the one who will defeat the Dark Lord."

"Me? But… why me?"

"This is where we come to the next part of the prophecy. _Do not stray from purity, or else all will be lost. _Purity, Lily. You are the definition of purity, are you not?"

"Uh, no…I… I'm a muggle-born, not a pureblood," Lily said. Aunt Audrey smiled and shook her head.

"That's not quite what I meant. You are pure. Innocent. Innocence defines you, who have never committed a wrongdoing!"

"What? I haven't… have I? I mean, I don't remember if I have. I don't even know what's right or what's wrong," Lily said.

"Naïve, you are. So we come to the conclusion that you are pure. And if you do something that is to be considered _impure_, then _all will be lost_. Now, on to the last part of the prophecy. The 'light.' Already, there is a man in your life. A man you fell connected with, in a way. Am I correct?"

"Yes!" Lily said.

"Yes… this man is your _guardian_. He was summoned to protect the chosen one. Together, you two will face the Dark Lord three times before you are able to defeat him," Aunt Audrey said.

"Did you say… 'summoned'?" Ezmerelda said.

"Yes. He does not yet know it, but he is really the reincarnation of a guardian spirit that would protect the innocent and punish the sinners of earth. Soon, his true identity will be revealed to him, and he will have to give up everything he owns in this world. Only then will his true powers be unleashed," Aunt Audrey explained.

"That's amazing…" Lily said.

"Yes, I thought you would say that. What's even more amazing is you, Lily. You have a power that none other can possess. You have the power to defeat the most feared wizard of all. And in time, you will see that power take you down a path that leads to your destiny. This is all that I have seen," Aunt Audrey concluded.

"…I… I don't know what to say? Is this truly… _my_ destiny?" Lily asked. _Don't say yes. Please… _Aunt Audrey nodded. Lily sighed. _Why me?_

"Why me?" she said aloud.

"I told you that already! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I suppose you meant that you didn't ask to be put through this. I understand completely. I didn't ask to be a seer. The _inner eye_ was within me when I was born. At three years old I had my first vision. I foresaw that my mum would break her brand new vase, and it happened. I know your case is a lot different, but… there's nothing I can do, Lily. I'm sorry," Aunt Audrey said.

"That's fine. I… I have to go meet James now," Lily said, getting up.

"Goodbye, dear. Ezmerelda, are you leaving, too?" Aunt Audrey asked.

"I think I should go back to Hogwarts," Ezmerelda said.

"Okay. Then I'll be off as well," she said, before disapparating in front of their eyes.

Ezmerelda and Lily headed outside. They said goodbye and went their separate ways. But inside the Hog's Head, watching from a window was a young girl wearing a hood and cloak to disguise herself. She lowered her hood, a smirk played across her beautiful features. She had long black, wavy hair, and cold, metallic silver eyes. Her name: Bellatrix Black. She was a 7th year Slytherin at Hogwarts, and she was Sirius' cousin. She was also Voldemort's servant, and she had just overheard a very important secret prophecy.

_Well, this will certainly please the Dark Lord, won't it? _She thought to herself. _I'd better go and tell Lucius what I've just found out about our little Miss Evans._

-

**Now Lily and James have some foes, don't they? HAHA. And Aunt Audrey thinks Lily's the chosen one and James is her guardian and the reincarnation of a guardian spirit. And they have to face Voldy 3 times before they defeat him, sort of like what happens in the books, only they die in the books. So… yeah. And they have special powers! It all sounds very stupid now, but it's not, really! You just have to wait. It won't be all fun and games for them, it'll get dark and twisted. Besides, with enemies like Bellatrix and Lucius, how can things possibly get better for them?**

**Next Chapter: To be announced.**


	9. Questions

**It's called writer's block. Everybody gets it at one point.** **XP**

**TO MY REVIEWERS:**

**XXRoseDawsonXX: shut up, I hate you. Your reviews make me wanna hunt you down and shoot you. And I know where you live! …kidding. Sorry for not updating sooner. Luv ya, Meg! Don't hurt me!**

**BlueJeanMistress: Thanks. Glad you like the plot line, even if I think it seemed a little too corny. But it's my plotline, isn't it? So I can do what I want, I guess.**

**Nigel: Thanks. And I'm glad I inspired you. Oh, and James isn't actually a spirit, unless you count the fact that everybody is/has a spirit. Um… he's just the reincarnation of one.**

**MeyaRose: thanks. D**

**Gothgir14: Yeah, I always pictured Lily as pure too. Especially in my story, with the way she was raised, she never did anything wrong as a child because she was under strict parenting all the time. And you're welcome.**

**Thanks for the reviews.**

**Chapter 9: Questions**

**-**

Ezmerelda slowly walked away from her friend and back towards the castle she knew as Hogwarts, and as her home…

Thoughts flooded her mind of what she had just learned from her Aunt. Everything was too confusing to take in all at once, but somehow she had understood it. James… he wasn't a bad person at all. The king of Gryffindor, his life was perfect. But he'd have to give everything up for Lily so that she could defeat the Dark Lord. He'd have to give up his perfect life…. Somehow Ezmerelda pitied him. He'd worked so hard to get to where he was. He was the Gryffindor quidditch captain and Head Boy with good grades, despite his prankster instincts. All the girls loved him, and Ezmerelda had to admit that she felt a little something for him too. But it was nothing more than a crush. She knew she could never be with him, anyway, so there was no reason to swoon over him.

That's when she realized she had stopped walking. She turned around and paced back towards the Three Broomsticks, just to check in and make sure Lily had gotten there all right…

Did Lily understand what James would have to go through for her? Didn't Lily like James? But she couldn't do anything impure, so did that mean she couldn't be with James either?

"He's very attractive, isn't he?" a voice beside her said. Startled, Ezmerelda tore her gaze from the window of the Three Broomsticks to see who was there. Bellatrix Black smiled menacingly at the blue-eyed girl.

"Um… w-who are you talking about?" she asked.

"You know who I'm talking about. And don't deny that you like him. Everybody in this whole bloody school does. So don't you dare deny it," Bellatrix hissed.

"I'm not denying anything! You're talking about James Potter, then? He's very attractive, yes" Ezmerelda said quickly.

"Smart girl," Bellatrix smirked. "I think you should go for him. Especially since he's just broken up with that annoying bitch, Taylor. He definitely needs a rebound, you know? Just go in there… and take what's _yours._"

"W-what do you mean, 'what's mine?' Potter doesn't belong to me," Ezmerelda said.

"Oh, I see. I suppose he belongs to Evans, then? Okay, I understand. She's your friend anyway," Bellatrix said.

"No! He doesn't belong to her! Um… He doesn't belong to anyone but himself, for that matter…" Ezmerelda said, rather nervously.

"But wouldn't you like it if you could have him, all for yourself. Ezmerelda… _Potter_." Bellatrix just laughed and walked away, leaving her to think about what had just happened.

No, she could not deny that she liked James Potter. Maybe even loved him. No, what was she talking about? Love? A few days ago she was sure she disliked him very much. No, she wouldn't let a Slytherin convince her that she was in love with someone she did not know. Strong feelings, but not love…

-

Lily had quite an enjoyable time with the Marauders. She had to admit, they were fun people to be around, which must be the reason for their popularity. Even Peter Pettigrew, who at first just seemed like a tag-a-long, was an interesting person. He was just shy.

Lily almost forgot about James being her guardian for a while, but at one point, when he looked at her, into her eyes, she remembered. She wasn't sure what he would have to do for her, but she just knew that it wouldn't be easy for either of them. Why did they have to be put through this? Couldn't they just lead normal lives? She was glad to be friends with James, and that was all that she wanted; nothing more. So why did she feel so close to him? Was it because he was her guardian? When was he supposed to find out about it? What would happen to the two of them? There were so many questions left unanswered, that it was almost killing Lily. James saw that she was deep in thought and confusion. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. He smiled.

"Hey. Are you okay?" She nodded and tried to smile back, but her lips refused to move.

"Hey, Evans, cheer up! You have to have a good time when you're in our company!" Sirius said to her.

"Oh! I am having a good time, Sirius, really. All of you have been so kind to me. Thank you," she said, bowing her head somewhat.

"You're very welcome," Sirius said.

"Yes, we like having you around," Peter said with a grin. Lily couldn't help but smile. These boys were so nice when they wanted to be. Well, to a fellow Gryffindor, of course they would be. She just wished Ezmerelda could be here right now…

-

Ezmerelda was having different thoughts as she got back to Hogwarts. She didn't want anything to do with Lily's new friends, especially not James. She liked him too much, it scared her. She didn't want to fall for him, because it would ruin her friendship with Lily. And so, she would stay away from James Potter at all costs. That stupid Slytherin –Bellatrix –was so wrong.

Now that Peter Pettigrew, he was different. He was extremely cute when he smiled, although he hardly smiled since he was so shy. But if you could manage to get him to smile… it was beautiful. He was short and a little chubby, but it was still adorable. His dirty blond hair was almost as curly as Ezmerelda's. They indeed would make a strange pair, both with such curly hair. But Ezmerelda couldn't like him... he was cute, yes, but not hot. Not like James…

Oh, she really had to stop thinking about James. What could get her mind off of him now? Chess… no, Lily's not around to play chess with. Homework. That's it. Homework would keep her occupied. Ezmerelda went up to her dorm and picked up her Charms textbook. She needed to write a three-page essay, anyway.

-

"Lucius, I did my part. Now you do yours. Separate the chosen one and her guardian. For good," Bellatrix said. They were speaking in a private area, where no one could overhear them.

"No problem," said Lucius. He walked away to go spy on Lily and James.

-

That afternoon, Lily and the Marauders were walking back to Hogwarts. Lily hadn't a care in the world as she walked together with her new friends. Life was… good, for once. Sure, life had thrown this whole prophecy in her face, which was unfair, but with the prophecy came James Potter. What more could she ask for?

Life couldn't get any better. Which was, sadly, to say that life could get worse for her. And it would. But what would result in this prophecy… If Lily actually ended up defeating the Dark Lord… then what? Could Lily and James get their lives back to normal after that? What would become of them?

"Lily." She turned her head towards the voice that called her name. It was James.

"Yes?" she asked softly.

James had grown so accustomed to hearingher delicate voice, that it was like music to his ears. He smiled at this.

"Nothing. Just making sure you're not spacing out on me again," he said.

"Spacing out…? I'm not spacing out! Am I? Oh my gosh…" Lily said nervously. James chuckled lightly.

"Hey, it's okay. You can space out if you want to. Just… as long as you pay me attention, alright?" he said. Lily nodded.

"Of course," she said with a smile. James glanced over at his friends, who were laughing about something, and then looked back at Lily.

"You wanna ditch these guys?" he asked. Lily grinned.

"Sure," she said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him back towards Hogsmeade. They started at a slow jog, unnoticed by the others. Then they sprinted all the way back to Hogsmeade.

When they reached their destination, James fell over, accidentally dragging Lily down with him. Lily landed on top of him. Her face in his chest, she could hear his heavy breathing. Being in an awkward situation, she got up immediately. After they caught their breaths, Lily spoke up.

"Don't you think it was a little mean, leaving them like that?" she asked.

"Hey, you agreed to it," James said.

"I did, didn't I? Well, what are we going to do, Mr. Potter?" Lily asked.

"Hm… here, come with me," he said, holding out his hand to her. She took his hand and let him lead her throughout Hogsmeade, into a section she was unfamiliar with. They walked past all the stores into an area with a lot of trees.

"Where did this forest come from?" Lily asked.

"I… I don't know. I think I took a wrong turn somewhere. Let's just see where this leads," James said. He kept walking ahead, faster and faster. They'd stopped holding hands a while back and Lily already lost track of him. Finally, when she thought she saw the back of his head, she ran after him.

"James!" she called out.

She came closer and sighed in relief when she caught up. The figure of James turned around slowly. But it wasn't James. It was his body, yes, but the… _thing_… had no face, just flesh where a nose, eyesm and a mouth should have been. Lily screamed bloody murder and ran in the other direction, not knowing or caring which direction she was going in.

Everything suddenly became blurry as Lily slowed down to take a breath. Glancing behind her, she realized that she wasn't being followed. She was safe… for now.

What the hell was that thing? And where is James? I need him…

Lily looked around her and noticed that she'd found her way back to Hogsmeade. She was separated from her gaurdian, but she couldn't go back in there. She went back to Hogsmeade and inside a small bar to sit down and meditate.

Lily rested her head in her arms and realized that tears were streaming from her eyes. She wiped them away and looked up. The bartender was staring at her. Seeing her looking at him, he smiled.

"You okay, hun?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm fine," she said.

"Okay. Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"Um… how about a butterbeer?" she asked.

"Sure." The bartender whipped up a butterbeer and handed it to her. She reached into her pocket to pay him, but someone grabbed her hand.

"It's on me." Lily looked up to see Lucius Malfoy grinning back at her. He payed for her drink and then sat down next to her.

"Thanks," Lily said.

"No problem."

They sat in silence for a while, Lily wondering why Lucius was being nice to her, and Lucius wearing a smirk and practically reading her mind.

"Evans… May I call you Lily?" he asked. Lily nodded. "So Lily… I've seen you around school a lot. You're awfully quiet. I sometimes get the feeling that you don't want to be noticed by anyone," he said.

"That's not true!" Lily defended herself.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything. I was just pointing out that you always wear black and you only talk to one person…"

"Why are you talking to me?" Lily asked.

"Ah, I knew you'd ask that eventually. Well you see, I like you. Now, don't take this the wrong way. I like you as a friend, and nothing more. You seem like a very interesting girl. So what do you say you hang out with my friends and I from now on?" he asked.

"I don't know…" said Lily tentatively.

"What, is there something wrong with me?" he asked.

"Not at all! It's just… you're a Slytherin. I'm not supposed to trust you," Lily said.

"Oh, please. There's nobody more trustworthy than me," he stated.

"Well… I'm not sure about this. I'll consider it, though," she said.

"Oh, how nice of you. Thank you very much. I'll… see you around," Lucius got up and handed her a rose that seemed to come from out of nowhere. It was blood red in colour and it attracted Lily very much.

She sighed and stood up, walking out of the bar and deciding to go back to Hogwarts. Maybe James would be there… maybe he was okay.

-

**Yeah, I know. I left you all hanging. That totally sucks for you. But don't you worry yourselves! Review! And then I'll feel special. Teehee.**

**Next Chapter: Answers!**


	10. Answers

**A.N.:Yeah, I know… I took a really really really really really x infinity long time to update. Whoopdee doo. But what can I say? School started. That's my only excuse. Even though it is already 3 months into the school year. Thanks to everyone who reviewed though. Here's chapter 10.**

**Chapter 10: Answers**

-

"Bellatrix." Lucius called the name of his partner-in-crime. She turned her head and smiled that sinister, sly smile of hers.

"Yes, Lucius?"

"The seed has been planted. You just need to take care of Potter for me. Then Evans will come running to us," Lucius said.

"And we'll be standing here, waiting for her with open arms," Bellatrix said, grinning wider.

"Oh yes. I will make sure she does not fulfill that prophecy," he said.

"The Dark Lord will be very pleased with you," Bellatrix said. She lifted her finger towards Lucius' face and traced it along his jaw, stopping at his lips. He grinned and parted his mouth a little, suggestively. Bellatrix then leaned forward and met his lips with hers.

-

When Lily got back to the common room that night, she saw James sitting with his head in his hands. His friends were beside him, along with Ezmerelda, who was sitting near Peter and away from James. They all looked up at her as she entered the room.

"James!" Lily cried, running towards him. He stood up as she reached out to hug him. A somewhat perplexed look came about his face, but then he just smiled and hugged her back.

"What happened to you, Evans?" he asked. They broke apart from their embrace.

"Me? What about you? You… you just disappeared…"

"Lily, you were the one who disappeared in the wood. I couldn't find you anywhere," James said.

"What? But I followed you… and, and… wait. Is this some sort of a joke?" Lily asked.

"What? A joke? No way!"

"James Potter, if this is some sort of trick you're playing, it is not funny!" Lily said. James could see that she was being serious. He gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Lily, listen to me. I would _never_ do such a thing to you. Honestly. I don't know what exactly happened out there in the wood, but it was no joke," he said. Lily wiped her watery eyes and looked at him desperately.

"I'm sorry, James. I was just so scared," Lily said.

"I know," he said. He hugged her, and she buried her face in his arms and sobbed.

-

Ezmerelda watched as the Gryffindor king hugged her best friend. She didn't want them together, and she wasn't sure why. She was hoping it wasn't jealousy, and reassuring herself that it was just her being protective of Lily, who was like her own sister. Either way, she did not want to see the two of them acting so… intimate towards each other. She tried to ignore them and engage Peter in a conversation about their Potions project, but even then it was no use. She could not keep her thoughts away from James Potter. And sadly, it was all Bellatrix's fault.

The seed had been planted.

-

**Well, even if I took a long time to update, I do hope this chapter hasn't been disappointing. A little short, perhaps, but then again so are all the chapters. So I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review, and Merry Christmas.**

**Next chapter: TBA**


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